I just got the tires rotated. Tread depth on front is 5/32"; rear tires are 4/32".

I'm no expert, other than noticing when tires have gone bald.

How soon should I start thinking about new tires?

 

Based on on your post I'm guessing you either are concerned and think they should be replaced or are looking for some affirmation that they're OK?

To me there's no really set standard to go by? Yes there's wear indicators telling you when you REALLY need to replace them. That being said, if I lived somewhere it rained allot I'd probably replace them soon the the wear indicator said to. Now If I lived in the desert I wouldn't be as concerned. Another variable is the tread wear rating, lower numbers wear faster.

All this his being said, my views on items like tires is it's a cheap consumable item that's not risking injury or my life over. Think of it this way; if you have an issue with your tire and a split second before you're going to die sometone stops time and says it can be avoided if you now spend $400 on new tires. Most likely you'd say OK, do it NOW. So if you think like that the obvious choice would be to replace now or very soon. I guess my life is worh more then $400 to me. I'm sure you'll get different responses from the bean counter account types?

 

Based on on your post I'm guessing you either are concerned and think they should be replaced or are looking for some affirmation that they're OK?

To me there's no really set standard to go by? Yes there's wear indicators telling you when you REALLY need to replace them. That being said, if I lived somewhere it rained allot I'd probably replace them sooner then the wear indicator said to. Now If I lived in the desert I wouldn't be as concerned. Another variable is the tread wear rating, lower numbers wear faster.

All this his being said, my views on items like tires is it's a cheap consumable item that's not risking injury or my life over. Think of it this way; if you have an issue with your tire and a split second before you're going to die sometone stops time and says it can be avoided if you now spend $400 on new tires. Most likely you'd say OK, do it NOW. So if you think like that the obvious choice would be to replace now or very soon. I guess my life is worh more then $400 to me. I'm sure you'll get different responses from the bean counter account types?

 

Just checked the owner's manual. I didn't realize that these tires had wear indicators and that I have a little way to go before it is necessary to get new tires.

 

Often a tire will slip a lot when it rains, even though it's got tread that is thicker than the wear bars.

Another factor is age. Most makers recommend you replace a tire after 6 - 7 years, because at that age, they are hard and stiff from many heat cycles, and cracked from UV exposure.

 

Most tires have wear indicators on them. They're set to 2/32 which is considered depleted according to the safety inspections in my state and most others.

I bought one of these since I wanted to be able to tell before getting inspected:



I'm currently at 3/32 on one of mine so it's time to start shopping. I was able to get through the last little winter storm and it was slipping a bit. Doesn't look like any more snow in the forecast for the rest of the year but still probably will be replacing in a week or two. I'm at around 40k at this point.

 

Thanks for the insight. I will get new tires in autumn before the next rainy season in California.

 

Wear bars are the guide I go by (and, incidentally, also what the state safety inspection goes by).

If it's getting close, I do prefer to buy new tires before winter rather than just after winter. It's much handier to have traction in the snow than suffer through not much traction only to rectify it in the spring. That's not so much of a concern if you have separate winter tires or don't experience winter weather.

 

My situation is a bit unusual. The car belonged to my mom, who had managed to put only 5k miles on the odometer before she passed away at the end of 2014. With the car now ten years old, I have had to look at maintenance from a perspective of time as opposed to mileage. For example, should I swap the spark plugs...
The tires are the originals. From a perspective of time, they are ready to be swapped.

 

Is there any dry rotting? I'd replace them ASAP, especially if the car has ever been stored outside.

My condolences for your loss.

***My take could be taken with a grain of salt, I'm tremendously anal about my tires. My garage has four sets of tires, only one set being composed of tires that cost less than $120/each....and only one set that aren't 16". EEK.

 

The good news is that the car has been garaged all these years.

 

Early and often.

 

Ten year old tires should be replaced. Most tire companies recommend either replacement or professional inspection by a qualified person (which generally involves dismounting the tire to examine the inside, as well as checking the outside) at around seven years, and replacement regardless at around ten years. The exact ages might vary some from maker to maker, and certainly the tire life will vary with environmental conditions--UV, ozone, and perhaps moisture are the big culprits.

Given that the factory tires on a Fit are none to fantastic even when new, I wouldn't give it a moment's thought to replace them at ten years old!